When Apple originally unveiled Apple Maps as part of its revamped iOS 6 operating system in September, Australia was slated to get turn-by-turn navigation at some stage in October. But late last month, Apple put a note on its website which placed Australia under a November launch, making us the last country to receive the upgrade.

The switching on of turn-by-turn comes after Apple users around the globe complained about the terrible quality of Apple Maps and its mapping data. When Apple Maps was released in Australia, several landmarks were mislabelled and locations were in the wrong place, including Uluru and Apple's flagship Sydney store. Directions (different to turn-by-turn navigation) given to Australian users included sending drivers into the middle of bodies of water and through buildings.

Meanwhile, users of the turn-by-turn navigation feature in countries where it has already been available for some time, such as the US, have reported frequently being given the wrong directions by the app.

Cook even recommended users turn to rival mapping services such as Google Maps and Microsoft's Bing Maps while Apple fixed glitches in their own service. "While we're improving Maps, you can try alternatives," he wrote.